Denise Dowd, MD, MPH, PEM

Dr. Denise Dowd is a physician in the Division of Emergency Care of the Children’s Mercy Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She is Associate Medical Director for the Office of Faculty Development and has been leading violence and injury prevention initiatives at the hospital since her recruitment by Dr. Jane Knapp 22 years ago. Her recent work centers on building collaborations within Kansas City to address the impact of early childhood adversity and poverty.

Dr. Dowd has practiced in critical care hospital settings for over 30 years, starting as a nurse in urban Detroit. She has been a long term volunteer for the AAP serving on numerous committee and teams and her contributions to injury prevention research, education and child advocacy have spanned 27 years. Dr. Dowd is the lead author on the AAP’s firearm injury prevention policy statement. She has received numerous honors including Mayor’s declarations from the cities of Cincinnati and Kansas City, Missouri Communicator of the Year Award, the Michael Shannon Humanitarian Award and the AAP Gold Foundation Humanism Award.